Automatic electric water heater



March 24, 1931. J. w. GITTLER AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC WATER HEATER Filed Jan. 31, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l 940 /0 w J mmm z 5 33 n my 7 0 Z mm mm ME E w 1 w March 24, 1931. w G|TT| ER 1,797,861

AUTOMATTC ELECTRIC WATER HEATER Filed Jan. 31, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVZYVTOZZ y Ciis'cfi $13 318)" Patented Mar. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHIE JOSEPH W. GITTLEB, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC WATER HEATER Application filed January 31, 1930. Serial No. 424,783.

3 whereby either hot or cold water may be drawn from the same spigot to which it passes through a single conduit system in contradistinction to the usual hot and cold water conduits or systems.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic electric water heater wherein either hot or cold water may be procured from the same system.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic electric water heater including a plurality of vertically arranged coils, each consisting of a plurality of sections preferably radially arranged with relation to the complete heater and a plurality of other coils including spirals passing about, through or adjacent the sections of the vertical coils.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a heater of this kind consisting of a casing, the walls of which are heat insulated, an electric heating unit within the casing, preferably in the vertical or longitudinal center thereof, headers at opposite ends within the casing, one for connection with a source of water supply and the other for connection with outlet means or a spigot, a plurality of coils consisting of small copper tubes bent back and forth to provide vertical sections spaced apart radially relative to the complete heater and connected with the headers, and a plurality of spiral coils also consisting of small tubes connected with the headers and wound about between or adjacent the vertical coils, and a switch mechanism controlled by certain operations of the spigot;

With these ends in view, this invention consists in the details of bination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically desi nated by the claims.

In order that those s illed in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings construction and com- 1 forming a part of this application, in which l Fig. 1, is a longitudinal sectional view of an automatic electric water heater con structed in accordance with my invention with some of the coils removed and the remaining ones being illustrated in elevation.

Fig. 2, is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged the spigot with a portion broken away to illustrate the details of the interior construction.

Fig. 4, is a side elevation thereof.

front elevation of In carrying out my invention as herein embodied, 5 represents a suitable casing consisting of side walls 6, a top 7 and a bottom 8. All of the walls of the casing are preferably double and spaced apart for the reception of suitable heat insulating material 7 9 in order that practically all of the heat generated will be retained. One of the walls, preferably the top 7 is provided with an access opening 10 normally closed by a suit- 7 able closure 11.

Within the casing and preferably centrally thereof is located an electric fixture socket 12 for the reception of an electric heating unit- 13, said socket being connected, as by wires 14 with a source of supply and control means 30 to be presently described included in an electric circuit, a portion of which is the usual house circuit.

Within the casing at one end thereof, as at the bottom, is located a header 15 an inlet connection or nipple 16 to which a water supply pipe may be connected and also within said casing but at the other end or top is located another header 17 from having which leads an outlet connection or nipple 18,

to which is suitably connected the spigot 19.

To the headers are connected the ends of a plurality of coils 20, each consisting of an inlet portion 21, a plurality of vertical sections here shown as three in number and designated by the numerals 22, 23 and 24 although it is to be fully understood that a greater or less number of sections may be utilized and an outlet portion 25. The vertical sections are formed by bending the copper tube from which each coil is made back and forth so that the sections which are provided are in spaced relation and the sections of each coil are radially positioned as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2.

A plurality of series of coils 26, 27 and 28 here shown as three in number although more or less may be used for their ends connected to the headers and each series consists of a plurality of coils 28, 29, 30 and 31 herein illustrated as four in number although, it will be understood that more or less may be used.

These last mentioned coils are of spiral formation and are produced from small copper tubes and all of the coils of each series are of the same general contour, configuration or formation so that the series represented by the numeral 26 may surround all of the vertical coils as suggested by the single coil shown running completely from the header 15 to the header 1?, while the series of coils 27 are formed so that the spirals are of smaller diameter than those of the series 26 and therefore said series of coils 27 will pass between sections 22 and 23 of all of the vertical coils and likewise the spirals of the series of coils 28 being smaller in diameter than the spirals of the series ofcoils 27 said coils 28 will pass between the sections 23 and 24 of all of the vertical coils. As before suggested, any other number of series of coils can be used and if used will be located within the space bounded by the vertical coils.

This arrangement divides the column of water passing from the source of supply to the spigot into a great number of very fine streams which will be very quickly and practically instantaneously heated by the heat generated by the electric heating unit and such heat is fully retained within the casing because of its insulated walls.

The spigot 19 includes a body 32 through which there is a passageway 33 leading to the nozzle 34 and this passageway intermediate its ends is divided into two channels 35 and 36, each channel being controlled by a valve 37, 38, and the respective valves are operated by handles 39 and 40 mounted on the threaded valve stems d1 and'at2. The handle 40 which in this instance controls the hot water supply is provided with a finger 43 for co-operation with a pair of spaced lugs 44 and 45 on a mercury switch 46 suitably pivoted to rock back and forth for making or breaking the electric circuit including wires 47 which like the wires 14 are connected in any suitable or the usual manner with the house supply.

When only cold water is desired, the handle 40 is in a closed position, such for instance as that illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, and therefore the mercury switch 416 is in position for breaking the circuit through the conductors and no current will be passing to the heating unit. By properly actuating the handle 39, water may be turned on and while the same will pass through the several coils, its temperature will not be raised and will therefore be known as cold water. When it is desired to obtain hot water, the handle 40 is properly operated to turn on the waterthe same as when the cold water handle is operated, but the operation of said handle 40 will turn on a switch, as an example, the switch mercury 46 by tilting the same until the mercury closes the circuit through the wires 47. This will supply current to the heating unit 13 thereby quickly raising the temperature of the water passing through the several coils so that such water will be hot when it issues from the spigot 19.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious that only a single water supply pipe will be necessary'and only one spigot required at each place where water is desired and each of said spigots will supply either hot or cold water.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as herein shown, as these may be varied within the limits of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is 1. An automatic electric water heater comprising a casing, a header within said casing for connection with a source of water supply, another header within said casing for connection with a Water outlet, a pluralit of vertical coils comprising a number of vertical sections having their ends connected with said headers, and a plurality of series of coils having their ends connected with said headers, one of said series of coils passing around and supported by the vertical coils and others of said series of coils passing between the sections of said vertical coils, and means within the casing for supplying heat to said coils.

2. An automatic electric water heater comprising a casing, headers at opposite ends of said casing within the same, one for connection with a water supply and the other for connection with an outlet, a plurality of vertical coils connected with said headers, each including a numb running substantially the entire length of the casing, spiral coils connected with the headers and lntermesh with the sections of the vertical coils and supported thereby and an electric heating unit within the casing, for supplying heat to said coils.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 in combination with a spigot connected to the headers used for connection with an outlet, said spigot including two independent means for controlling the flow of water therethrough, a switch actuated b one of said means, said switch being includ ed in the electric circuit with the heating unit whereby current will be supplied to the latter when the control er of vertical sections means associated with the switch is operated "in the direction for turning on the water.

4. An automatic electric water heater comprising, in combination with a source of water supply and valve controlled water outlets, a casing, a header within said casing for connection to the source of water supply, another header within said casing, means to connect said last named header with the valve controlled outlets, a plurality of vertical coils comprising a number of vertical sections having their ends connected with said headers, and a plurality of series of coils having their ends connected with said headers, one of said series of coils passing around the vertical coils and supported thereby and others of said series of coils and supported by certain of said vertical coils pass- .ing between the sections of said vertical coils, and means within the casing for supplying heat to said coils.

5. In an electric water heater; a casing, a vertical heating element centrally located within the casing; an inlet header and an outlet header; a plurality of vertically disposed coils connecting the headers, each of said coils being so bent as to form a series of supports, one inside of the other; a number of coils in series also connected to the 0 headers, each series surrounding and supported by one section of the supporting coils, so that the said series of coils are disposed one within the other; and a faucet connected to the outlet header.

6. In an electric water heater an inlet header; an outlet header; a supporting frame comprising a series of tubes communicating with said headers and bent back and forth to form one set of supports inside of another;

and a series of coils also communicating with said headers and being wound around the outer section of the skeleton supporting frame and another series of coils also communicating with the two headers and wound around and supported by sections of said skeleton frame inside of the first named series of coils; and a third series of coils also communicatin with the two headers and wound around an supported by the inner section of the skeleton frame.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

JOSEPH W. GITTLER. 

